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Morocco, Africa

Morocco is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million. Morocco is the only country in Africa that is not currently a member of the African Union. Morocco is a de jure constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco, with vast executive powers, can dissolve government and deploy the military. As is true in many former African colonies, the Moroccan economy remains heavily dependent on the export of raw materials as well as increasing tourism. Morocco criminalizes “lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex.” Homosexuality is illegal and can be punished with anything from 6 months to 3 years imprisonment but the law is seldom enforced and homosexual activity is secretly common, especially in the holiday resorts. Relationships are often visibly displayed and money often plays a role where sex is involved. In the native community homosexuality remains a taboo and is considered immoral. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality

Manuel Couffignal is a Senior Advisor: Funding and Influence at the Alliance. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), men who have sex with men (MSM) are a particularly vulnerable and highly stigmatised community, and their burden of HIV infection is significantly higher than the general population. From 2005 to 2015, the Alliance worked… Read more »

The teenage girls who faced prison after being accused of “hugging and kissing” on a rooftop have been acquitted. The two girls were arrested in Morocco over the accusation earlier this year. The women faced up to three years in prison under the country’s strict laws Reports suggest that 16-year-old Sanaa invited 17-year-old Hajar –… Read more »

The girls face up to three years in prison if found guilty. Two teenage girls have been arrested in Morocco for kissing and hugging. The young women face up to three years in prison under the country’s strict homosexuality laws, with their trial due to start next week. Reports suggest that 16-year-old Sanaa invited 17-year-old… Read more »

A court has released two men convicted of homosexuality after they were attacked and slashed in their own home. A Moroccan court has released two men convicted of homosexuality, after they were attacked and dragged out into the street naked. The court also jailed two men convicted of attacking the couple, in a case that… Read more »

The men tried to escape police after they were caught together. Two Moroccan youths have been jailed for one and a half years and fined 2,000 dirhams (£375) each on charges of homosexuality. The sentence was handed down by a court in the southern town of Tiznit on Monday (February 1). The two men –… Read more »

Two gay men from Morocco have been sentenced to four-months in jail each for posing too close in a photograph. The men, only identified by the Guardian as Lahcen, 38 and Mohsine, 25, in order to protect their identities, were on Friday found guilty of obscenity and homosexuality. The men posed for a photograph at… Read more »

A British man flew home from Marrakech last week after being jailed for “homosexual acts”. There was a time though when Morocco was renowned as a haven for gay Americans and Britons, who fled restrictions in their own countries to take advantage of its relaxed atmosphere. Take a walk down one of the main streets… Read more »

Appeals Court Applies Law Criminalizing Same-Sex Activities (Rabat) – A Moroccan appeals court on July 2, 2014, upheld the convictions of men accused of homosexual acts. At least four of the six defendants in the case in central Morocco were convicted on charges that included “lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same… Read more »

In an edition of the Venice Film Festival notable for the prevalence of works grappling with global and societal woes (unemployment, terrorism, pollution, war) perhaps no film has blended the personal and the political as strikingly as Abdellah Taia’s L’Armée du salut (Salvation Army). A promising directorial debut presented in the independent “Critics’ Week” category… Read more »

The Council of Europe has called upon Morocco to repeal its law banning same-sex acts The Council of Europe (CoE) told Moroccan lawmakers to decriminalize a law banning and severely punishing gay sex. The statement came as part of CoE’s bi-annual resolution evaluating Morocco’s reforms law reforms as required by its status as a ‘partner… Read more »

Ignorance increases the risk of HIV infection, especially for young people. A national AIDS awareness campaign now under way in Morocco is focusing on teenagers. The fourth edition of “Sidaction Maroc”, which runs through December 31st, aims to encourage young people to get tested so that the epidemic can be contained. The campaign also includes… Read more »

EFE – The cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam, on its present voyage catering to a gay clientele, docked Sunday in the southern Spanish port of Malaga after Moroccan authorities prohibited it from making its scheduled port of call in Casablanca. The vessel, carrying 1,564 passengers and 869 crewmembers, docked about 7:25 a.m. and was scheduled to… Read more »

Raba (Reuters) – Organisers of an all-gay cruise on Saturday blamed Moroccan officials for the cancellation of what would have been the first visit of its kind to a Muslim country, but the tourism minister denied the ship was banned and said its passengers were welcome. Cruise liner Holland America Line and trip organiser RSVP… Read more »

The number of Facebook users in Morocco reached 4.1 million in January, making the country 39th in the world and 4th in Africa, ANSA reported on Tuesday (February 28th). Egypt ranked first in Africa, followed by South Africa and Nigeria. Sixty-three percent of Moroccan Facebook users are under the age of 24 and 65% are… Read more »

I am a young Moroccan, and I want to publish my story. 1989: At age 4, I get raped by a neighbor who is older than me. For fear that the whole family is aware, my parents did not file a complaint. They are confined to move in the neighborhood where we lived. 1999: At… Read more »